Scott's Take: Ghost Rider Vol 2: Unchained by Benjamin Percy

Ghost Rider Vol. 2: Shadow Country by Benjamin Percy features Wolverine teaming up with Ghost Rider for part of the read to help him deal with his demonic parasite infection. Despite the blurb and cover showing they fight, that is not what happens. Wolverine is here to help Johnny. Wolverine has claws and johnny has something inside him. I think you can figure out where this is going.

 

There is also a team up between Agent Talia Warroad and Ghost Rider where they form a partnership that is more than just platonic/professional to fight against the fact that demons have taken over the country including the FBI.

 

There is also a random storyline where Necro the Tattooist uses his tattoo gun to bring out stories of previous Ghost Riders. Those tales are pretty random. Maybe it will make more sense later in the next volume why those particular riders are referenced, but for now it just kind of randomly stalls the entire read.

 

This volume features violence, gore, plenty of body horror, and disturbing imagery. The main villain is defeated anticlimactically, in my opinion. The author continues to do a good job of separating how the Ghost Rider and Johnny are different even though they share the same body. I am looking forward to the third volume which is currently untitled and unscheduled.

 

My reading copy came via the Hoopla App of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2023

Scott's Take: Ghost Rider Vol 1: Unchained by Benjamin Percy

Ghost Rider Vol 1: Unchained by Benjamin Percy (the author of the current Wolverine series) is the newest Ghost Rider series with Johnny Blaze as the lead. We find Johnny currently living a happy life with his wife and kids in a quiet town. He is suffering from the after effects of a motorcycle accident. He suffered a head injury and is dealing with occasional hallucinations that cause him to see the people around him as monsters. As long-time readers know, his wife and kids are dead so something is clearly wrong.

The first part of the read is about Johnny trying to what is real and what is not. When he does, he then goes across the country fighting against the demons who have made rural America their hunting grounds while being hunted by the FBI.

This is a back-to-basics Ghost Rider volume which establishes how hard the Johnny Blaze life is and why the world needs the Ghost Rider. Since most superheroes are not nomadic, evil can build up in small towns that people don’t care about. In a way, he is Jack Reacher and cleaning up rural America one town at a time.

The art is really good and the monsters are suitable disgusting and horrific. The violent battles are bloody and full gore. There is a ton of death, body horror, and gruesome images. This is not for kids. This is a dark tale with strong horror themes. This series continues with the late April 2023 release of Ghost Rider Vol 2: Shadow Country. There are also two more miniseries that are supposed to be launching out of this series as well. This revitalization of Ghost Rider seems to be doing quite well. It’s nice to have Johnny back as a lead character again. 

My reading copy came via the Hoopla app of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2023